Here are some pop-culture highlights from around the region Singer-songwriter Miran Gurunian started writing the latest release from his upcoming album ‘Notes From Underground’ in 2017 after Lebanon’s garbage crisis. “With the October 2019 uprising, I was inspired again by the people on the streets,” Gurunian tells Arab News. “The song was as relevant as when I first wrote it.” The lyrics are set in part to the Lebanese national anthem. And while he didn’t sit down with the intention of writing a political track, Gurunian says, “If you live in Lebanon, you cannot but write socio-political songs.” The Jeddah-based indie duo (Abdulmalik Zubailah and Faris Alosbyani) should be releasing their debut LP next year. In the meantime, they’ve dropped this heavy electro-rock track influenced by Nine Inch Nails, among others. Lyrical inspiration apparently came from Carl Jung and according to a press release, the track is about “accepting individuality” and “moving beyond cultural beliefs passed down with history.” The Beirut-based Syrian alt-rock trio covered the Arabic theme tune to the popular Japanese cartoon ‘Future Boy Conan’ as a tribute to its popularity in the region when they were growing up (the song title is the cartoon’s Arabic name). With a song written during in the first lockdown and a video shot after the Beirut Port blast and the loss of a close friend, the Syrian-Filipino rapper and his guest star — Lebanese MC El Rass — deliver a powerful and emotive farewell to a dire 12 months.